More Than Love
by DarKxKunoichi
Summary: Xiahou Dun x Diaochan. Chapter 2 posted. It was something special...
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note: I'm going to be using the Japanese terms for names and places in this story since I've been playing Shin Sangoku Musou 5 since November and I may have some anachronisms here because I have almost no idea what it's like to live in ancient China. Oh and this story kind of popped up because Xiahou Dun gets no love around here and the fact that in history he has sons but there is no mention of his wife or what happened to (the probably fictional) Diaochan after Xiapi.

"…" - speech

'…' - thoughts

Character Name Conversions

Chousen - Diaochan

Kakou Ton/Genjou - Xiahou Dun

Sou Sou/Moutoku - Cao Cao

Ryuu Bi - Liu Bei

Ryo Fu/Housen - Lu Bu

Sou Sei - Cao Xing

Son Tsu - Sun Tzu

Place Name Conversions

Kahi - Xiapi

Sou Gi - Cao Wei

Kyoshou - Xu Chang

(Kahi Castle Ruins)

Brittle stone fell from the crumbling battlement walls as a slender figure stumbled through the once proud castle. Sou Sou's and Ryuu Bi's Armies swept ruthlessly through the castle walls and easily raided the fortress. Even after Kakou Ton, one of Sou Sou's fiercest generals, and Ryuu Bi's Main Army were forced to retreat things still went wrong. Chousen wasn't sure how this happened; she only remembered the castle flooding and a vague report on how troops were deserting their ranks. It wasn't too long after that report that Ryo Fu forced Chousen into a hidden passage in the castle; stating that it was for her safety and that she should only leave when he returns to get her. The songstress stayed in the room for hours until she finally decided to push her way through the secret passage, frantically looking for her lord. When she entered the courtyard and found the heavily ravaged stone walls, she knew; they had lost.

"Housen-sama…" Chousen whispered tearfully.

Her hand weakly gripped her chain whip, while her heeled shoes splashed gently in the shallow puddles that lined the castle grounds. The enchantress' thoughts shot through her mind randomly and in rapid succession. She tried to logically place every event in chronological order in a desperate attempt to prove that her lord could have survived. Chousen eventually sunk to her knees, hugging her arms closer to her body, and felt despair looming over her. Before her tears could fall from her eyes, a voice caused her to jump up with her weapon raised in defense.

"Well…" A gruff voice started. "…this is a bit of a surprise."

The young woman's eyes roughly scrutinized her opponent. She took in the tall man's handsomely built body, enormous wolf teeth club, light armor, blue overcoat, short dark hair, and settled on his eye-patch. Her mind vaguely recalled a report from one of the captains that a powerful general was forced to retreat due to an injury to his eye. The archer, Sou Sei, unfortunately was brutally killed by the general before he had to retreat. This must have been that general, but his name had escaped her at the moment.

"You…" Chousen said slowly, before realizing who she was talking to. "You're… Kakou Ton."

The burly general chuckled wryly. "I am honored that My Lady knows of me."

"What business could you possibly have here?" She choked out. "You've already taken what mattered most to me…"

Kakou Ton's expression contorted in confusion for a moment. "You are.. Ryo Fu's lover, Chousen?"

She responded with a fierce glare and readied her weapon. The Gi general surveyed the woman carefully, impressed by her spirit. Kakou Ton leaned back to avoid a diagonal slash, lifted his foot to dodge a blow to his feet, jumped back to evade another low strike, then he leaned to the left to hear her whip crack and then to the right to feel the blade snap inches from his face. Chousen continued her attack by swinging her whip downward but the warrior raised his arm up, allowing the whip to wrap around his gauntlet and causing the blade to become embedded in his armguard. Kakou Ton jerked is arm back, pulling the songstress toward him but she stopped short a foot away from him. She sunk to her knees, defeated, and closed her eyes to wait for his attack, but instead felt his rough, calloused hand lift her chin up to face him.

"Don't give up yet." He grunted.

"Why are you here?" The enchantress snarled.

"Searching for survivors."

"Well you can make sure you don't find any."

"It is odd for someone so young to be eager to die."

"Your lord has taken away everything that made life worth living."

Kakou Ton crouched down and rested his elbows on his knees. "I do not recall Moutoku doing anything of the sort, but if that is true perhaps I can make it up to you?"

"What are you talking about?" Chousen spat at him.

"Return to Kyoshou with me and continue your life."

"Never!" She growled. "I will never have anything to do with Sou Gi!"

The Gi general stood to his full height and crossed his arms over his chest. "Stubborn, prideful and a fiery spirit: qualities of a Gi general. If you should change your mind…" Kakou Ton reached behind him and pulled a knife from beneath his coat. "… bring this to Kyoshou."

Chousen stared at the knife he dropped in front of her and quickly moved her gaze to him; she couldn't find any trace of sarcasm or malice in his expression. She watched him turn, kicking his weapon over his shoulder, and disappear in the distance. Her hands tightened around the handle of the blade and her fingers traced the outline of the Kakou family crest; a dragon hovering over the sun. A sigh escaped her lips. What was she supposed to do? She had not even been in the world for twenty years and now she was all alone; her only family was gone, her love was dead and she had no home. She couldn't keep doing this, depending on people was why she was in this mess, but she couldn't start a new life by herself; she needed help. Her gaze went back to the knife, now laying in her lap.

'Otou-sama… Housen-sama…' The enchantress bit her lip. 'What should I do?'

No! If they were here with her now, they would want her to decide for herself; they only wanted what was best for her. She used the knife to cut a long strip from the bottom of her skirt and wrapped it around the blade of the knife. Chousen sheathed it in the back of her skirt and stood up as she made up her mind. The enchantress needed to rebuild her life and she needed Kakou Ton's help. She didn't know why she was hesitating; her life had been about sacrifice, and this wasn't any different.

(Kyoshou County, Gi Kingdom)

Chousen turned on the a dirt road after noticing the deep wagon tracks embedded in the ground. The Gi Army had a few days head start on her, judging by the tracks, but at least she knew she was going in the right direction. Her legs were getting sore when she caught sight of the heavy fortifications within a grand city; she couldn't have made it to Kyoshou already could she? The songtress hurried toward the immense castle, but was stopped short of entering the city by two hulking shadows.

"It is a dangerous time to be out here my lady."

"Yes it is." Chousen responded coolly. "Would either of you like to tell me if that is Kyoshou up ahead?"

"Why yes it is." The second man drew his sword. "We would be happy to escort you."

"…for a price." The other added, pulling out a knife.

Chousen averted her eyes coyly and let her whip unravel behind her back. "Do you think you can handle me?"

Their smirks quickly disappeared when she cracked her whip at their feet, throwing one of them up into the air and slamming back down into the earth while burying the blade of her chain whip into his chest. The enchantress spun gracefully back and struck the other three times; once in the chest, then shoulder and finally in the neck. Her eyes became cold as she watched him crumple the floor and sighed. No matter how many times she had done it, taking someone's life was always unsettling for her.

"Don't feel bad." She whispered. "There aren't many that could."

(Kyoshou Castle - Main Gate)

"Halt!" the guards stopped Chousen in her tracks. "What business do you have here?"

"Kakou Ton-sama wishes to see me." The enchantress presented the knife to the guards.

One of the sentries unraveled the cloth around the knife and examined it carefully, taking note of the Kakou family crest and handing it to his partner.

"Open the gate!" He pounded three times on the barrier behind him.

"A handmaiden will be here momentarily to escort you to Kakou Ton-tono's quarters." The other guard returned the knife to her.

Chousen held her chain whip in front of her with both hands and lowered her gaze, while mentally rolling her eyes when she noticed the guards scrutinizing her. A petite young girl approaching the enchantress suddenly caught her attention.

"My Lady." She bowed. "Please follow me."

The songtress nodded and trailed behind the young handmaiden but smiled to herself as she overheard the guards behind her.

"Man…" One sighed. "Kakou Ton-tono has all the luck."

"You should look him in the eye and say that." The other chuckled.

"I'm serious. I mean he has incredible fighting skills, Sou Sou-tono's favor, that girl…" He jerked his thumb in Chousen's direction. "…not to mention the looks to have girls like her lining up around the castle for him…"

"You think Kakou Ton-tono is good looking?" His friend snorted.

"It's not like I would bend over for him, but I'm just saying that I wouldn't kick him out of bed either."

The other guard sighed in exasperation and shook his head.

"What?" He shrugged. "You don't think that Kakou Ton-tono is attractive?"

His friend's eyes narrowed in annoyance. "I don't want to have guard duty with you anymore."

"Hey, I'm just saying…"

Chousen moved out of ear shot once she entered the main keep. It looked just like any other castle on the inside, but that didn't stop her eyes from wandering around as the handmaiden led her down corridors, past several doors and a great hall. The young girl finally stopped in front of a large wooden door and motioned for Chousen to enter.

"Please wait inside My Lady." She opened the door. "I will inform Kakou Ton-sama of your arrival."

Chousen nodded and entered Kakou Ton's quarters as the handmaiden left to find her lord. It appeared to be a typical male room. She spotted a large bed, a simple dresser and a weapon rack with a thin wolf teeth's club with a blue handle, an empty space in the middle and another wolf's teeth club with a red handle and a heavily spiked club end. The songstress also noted that above the rack was an overlarge _dao _mounted to the wall; she could tell that it had seen many battles but was intrigued when she noticed that it had been meticulously sharpened despite its current lack of use. Her eyes then passed over a handsomely made wooden desk with open scrolls littering it's surface. She curiously examined them and found them to be notes on historical figures, battle strategies, astronomy, mathematics and grammar among other things. Her eyes then moved to the large bookcase adjacent to the desk to find books with titles that matched the subjects on the scrolls; it seemed that Kakou Ton enjoyed studying even in the midst of warring times.

The enchantress dropped her chain whip and Kakou Ton's knife on his bed and moved to the window. She inhaled deeply and could almost smell the spring air approaching. The view of the Gi kingdom from this height was breathtaking; she could even see the farmlands in the distance. It surprised her when she notice the fresh, green fully grown crops and the full rice fields since winter was just ending; the crops should just be sprouting, not already fully grown. She suddenly jumped out of her thoughts when she felt large, rough hands grip her shoulders.

"You should never be without your weapon." A gruff voice whispered in her ear.

Chousen spun around in surprise. "Kakou Ton-sama!"

She saw his stoic expression gain a hint of amusement as he rested his wolf teeth's club, with a green handle and a dull spiked club, on his shoulder. Kakou Ton proceeded to move to place his weapon in the empty space on his rack and adjusted the _dao_ on the wall.

"I like your sword." Chousen blurted out quietly.

The Gi general lifted the blade of off its mount and approached her. "Thank you for looking."

She blushed a little at his remark and averted her eyes.

"This is an old favorite." Kakou Ton handled the sword affectionately. "The Kirin Fang; it was the first weapon I mastered."

He let out a mirthless chuckle and returned the Kirin Fang to its mount. "I see you have reconsidered my offer."

"I…" Chousen hesitated a bit. "…wanted to discuss that with you."

"What did you wish to discuss?" He folded his arms across his broad, armored chest.

"I understand that I have no right to demand anything." She kept her eyes on the floor. "I am here because I want to continue my life…" Chousen felt determination rise in her chest. "…and I know that being here is the best way to do that." The enchantress' eyes became fiery. "I've spent my life depending on others and putting my needs aside; it's time that I put an end to that and…"

"Enough." Kakou Ton raised his hand to stop her. "I offered you a place here because I can see how strong you are; the world needs more people like you. I will not restrict your activities here, however, I will make decisions on your behalf if I feel they are for your own good."

"I…!" The songstress interjected.

"I do not expect you to be subservient or obedient but you should know that I am very stubborn and we live in a world where, in this relationship, my word is law and I do not wish to have to enforce that but I will if I must."

Chousen averted her eyes angrily; this situation had almost undermined the entire reason she was here, but she knew that she had to pick her battles. "Alright."

"Through that door…" Kakou Ton jerked his thumb in the direction of another wooden door beside the entrance. "… there is a hot spring; take a bath and prepare for dinner."

She stayed quiet and clutched her arm tightly, keeping her eyes locked on Kakou Ton as he moved to his dresser and removed his overcoat. He started to remove his armor when his eyes turned to meet hers.

"Unless you really wish to see my sword I suggest you take that bath." He said in a deadpan voice.

The enchantress turned away in embarrassment and pushed the heavy door open to reveal a stone laced room with a natural hot spring filling a large pool in the room's center. She proceeded to pile her clothes and tiara near the edge of the pool and slowly slid into the serenely warm water. Her eyes fell on a small wooden box at the opposite end of the pool and when she half-swam to it she discovered that it contained several washcloths and soap. Chousen dipped her head beneath the water and when she reemerged she immediately sunk low into the water when she noticed Kakou Ton standing at the door with a silk robe in his hand.

"For when you're finished." He placed the robe near the edge of the pool. "Dinner will be ready soon."

Chousen stared wordlessly at him as he left the spring and she absent mindedly dragged the soapy cloth over her body. She didn't know what to make of this man with his gruff personality and ambiguous heart. Her thoughts focused on Ryo Fu and how Kakou Ton reminded her of him. Her previous lord was so devoted and protective and… her hand sudden went to wipe the tears welling up in her eyes. She shook her head and quickly finished her wash and left the spring with water a little saltier than when she entered. The songstress hugged the silk robe around her body and discovered a finely made white dress laid out on Kakou Ton's bed. Chousen took a quick look around the room to make sure that he wasn't lurking in a corner somewhere. The door swung open and he appeared through the entrance.

"Your previous dress looked a bit…worn." His expression was unreadable. "One of the servants will fix it, but for now wear that one."

He pulled off his shirt and entered the spring to give Chousen her privacy to dress. Ten minutes later the muscular general emerged from the spring, freshly washed and shirtless. The songstress absent mindedly smoothed out the creases on her dress but kept an eye an him as he put on a black muscle shirt and his light armor.

"You wear your armor to dinner?" Chousen questioned.

"I'm prepared." He grunted. "The dress fits?"

The off-the-shoulder creamy white dress fit her body tightly, but the long skirt flowed freely with two long slits down the sides to allow free movement. Long creamy white gloves and tights complimented the yellow accents among the hem and cleavage of the dress.

"It's fine." She replied quietly as she stepped into the heeled shoes provided for her.

The Gi general held the door open for her. "You look lovely."

"Thank you." She muttered without quite making eye contact with him.

It was odd for her to be shy around this man, after all she spent the last half of her teenage years toying with the affections of two of the most incredibly influential men in China. And that was the answer. She hadn't been raised around too many men and her first real contact with them turned out to be an underhanded plan to tear them apart. She had been captivated by Ryo Fu's devotion to her and learned to love him, but she had never been so physically attracted to anyone like she was with Kakou Ton; it frightened her a little bit, especially since she knew next to nothing about him; he could have been some ruthless killer or a raving psychopath. It wasn't that hard to believe that this beastly man could be one of the aforementioned things but as she walked, arm-in-arm, with him down the corridors it seemed less and less likely that he would hurt her.

'Housen-sama…' She thought somberly. 'Kakou Ton could've been… he might've…'

"Chousen." Kakou Ton's voice dragged her out of her thoughts.

Her eyes widened when she felt someone take her hand and planted a gentle kiss on it.

"Such a lovely creature." A sly voice chimed into her ears.

"It is an honor, Sou Sou-sama." She immediately responded and bowed when she realized who the voice belonged to.

"You have excellent taste Kakou Ton." Sou Sou smirked at his cousin. "I assume she is your prize from Kahi?"

He nodded and grunted in response.

'Prize from Kahi?' Chousen repeated the words in her head. 'Is that want he really wanted?' Her fists clenched.

"Chousen…." Sou Sou gave her an unnerving smile. "I have heard of your talents as a songstress, perhaps you could honor us with a performance?"

The men around them cheered and applauded in hopes of convincing the songstress to perform for them.

"Perhaps some other time Moutoku." Kakou Ton interjected. "She has just arrived and I'm sure she needs more time to prepare a performance."

"Kakou Ton-sama." Chousen gently gripped his arm. "Would you allow me to skip dinner? I am not feeling well."

Kakou Ton gazed at her suspiciously. "As you wish. Shall I escort you back?"

"No." She shook her head. "Please, enjoy your dinner." The enchantress turned to Sou Sou and bowed. "I will prepare a performance for another time, Sou Sou-sama."

"We will all be waiting my dear."

Chousen immediately left the great hall and wandered through the unfamiliar corridors until she found Kakou Ton's quarters. When she pushed the door open she bumped into a handmaiden who was just leaving the room.

"Chousen-gozen!" The servant gasped. "Forgive me, my lady. I was just returning the dress I hemmed earlier."

"It's fine." Chousen smiled. "Thank you… uh…"

"Irin." She bowed. "I must go now, my lady."

After the door shut Chousen immediately started to pull off her dress and proceeded to change into her violet one. She heard the door open as she grabbed her chain whip and turned to find Kakou Ton staring back at her with a plate of food in his hand.

"I suppose you'll want your dinner some other time." The burly general's expression hardened.

"I'm leaving." She growled.

"Why?" He asked, although he already knew the answer.

"I did not come here to be _anybody's_ prize!"

Kakou Ton placed the plate on his desk and approached her coolly. "There is an explanation."

"I don't want to hear it!" Chousen glared at him. "I'm going."

He clutched her arm and pulled her closer to him. "Let me rephrase that; I have an explanation and you're going to listen to it."

The enraged woman jerked her arm away from him and took a deep breath; it wouldn't be good for her to lose her temper completely. No matter how she felt, Kakou Ton still had the ability to hurt her and nobody would blink an eye if it happened; Ryo Fu wasn't around to protect her anymore. She took a seat on his bed and waited for his response.

"Being named my prize is for your own protection."

"I'm sure it is." She responded sarcastically.

"If you haven't noticed, _my dear_, you are an exceptionally beautiful woman and the men of this land are not known for their self-control."

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"When the men know that you are mine, they will think twice before trying to touch you. After all, I have killed for less and no one would blame me for doing so, especially after looking at you."

"I expected as much." Chousen turned her nose in the air.

"I suppose you would rather have me kill for you, like Ryo Fu did." Kakou Ton responded nonchalantly.

"Don't talk about him like that!" The songstress shot up indignantly. "Housen-sama… it… it wasn't like that!"

"I assume you will be staying then?" The smallest smile appeared on his lips.

She turned her head to the side and remained silent.

"Eat." The Gi general offered her the plate again.

Chousen took the plate and began to slowly pick at the roasted chicken and bread. Her eyes moved to Kakou Ton's position at his desk as he opened a book from the shelf and began to take notes using careful brushstrokes. She had never met a man like him before; most men would be satisfied with commanding the respect of thousands of soldiers, but he wished to be a scholar as well. He definitely was something else. The enchantress didn't realize how hungry she was until after she had calmed down and was half way through her dinner causing her to quickly devour her food. When she finished, she set her plate aside and curiously looked over the Gi general's shoulder, wondering what he was reading.

"Did you need something?" He asked without lifting his gaze from his work.

"I just wanted to know what you were reading."

"_The Art of War._"

"Son Tsu?"

"You've read it?" He turned to face her; he was impressed.

"Just a few chapters." She flushed under his gaze.

He closed the book and returned it to its place on the shelf. "It's getting late; come to bed."

She wasn't sure if there was a hidden meaning behind his words or not, but when he took off his shirt, she drew her own conclusions.

"I told you that I…!" Chousen started.

"I am an honorable man." Kakou Ton interrupted, understanding what she was thinking. "I would not force myself upon you like that. If you are offering yourself to me, however, I would be incredibly foolish to refuse you."

"I'm not!" She replied hotly.

"Well then come to bed." He answered, slipping beneath the covers.

The enchantress stood, rooted in place, and stared at him, deciding whether or not to trust him.

"If you make me repeat myself, Chousen, there will be consequences."

Chousen sneered at his muscular form and carefully slipped beneath the covers. She felt herself pull the blanket tightly around her; the nights felt colder to her in Kyoshou than in Kahi. Her body eventually settled in and adapted to the temperature change as she fell asleep.

End of Chapter 1


	2. Chapter 2

Author's Note: Inspiration strikes at the most random times...

Character Name Conversions

Kakou Ton/Genjou - Xiahou Dun

Chousen - Diaochan

Kakou En - Xiahou Yuan

Garou - Hungry Wolf

Ou In - Wang Yun

Ryo Fu/Housen - Lu Bu

Jo Kou - Xu Huang

Sou Sou/Moutoku - Cao Cao

Place Name Conversions

Kyoshou - Xu Chang

Other Vocabulary

Gozen - Lady

Gou - Go (Chinese strategy game)

Ni-u - Erhu (the instrument Diaochan plays in the DW6 intro)

(Kyoshou Castle - Kakou Ton's Quarters)

Chousen's slender figure squirmed beneath the warm covers. Her eyes shut tightly in a desperate attempt to drift back into the sweet slumber her mind pulled her from. Unfortunately her consciousness hovered more in her wakened state than her sleeping one, so she opened her eyes to find several layers of blankets piled up on top of her; Kakou Ton's doing, no doubt. She wasn't sure how to feel about this; was he just making up for offending her the previous night or was he just that considerate? Her brows furrowed when she spotted muscle peeking over the foot of the bed and disappearing and reappearing again. The songstress crawled forward and peeked over to find her new lord pushing his body up and down off the floor, flexing his muscles deliciously as a light sheen of sweat appeared on his broad back.

"Kakou Ton-sama?"

He ignored her and continued his exercises. Chousen stayed silent for a few more minutes until he rose from his spot on the floor.

"Did you need something?" He asked plainly.

"Why did you take so long to answer?"

"I didn't want to lose count."

"How many of those do you do every morning?"

"Two hundred; I have to keep up my strength to wield my weapon."

"Of course you do…" She murmured softly.

"Is that all?"

"No…I…" The enchantress bit her lip. "I want to thank you for…"

"It's fine." He raised his hand to silence her. "I just wanted you to be comfortable."

She clutched her arm and averted her eyes shyly. Chousen felt his body move closer to her; his hard, lightly haired pectorals were at eye level and her sudden desire to run her hands over his body made her face flush. Their moment was interrupted, however, by the sound of the door bursting open.

"Ton-nii!" Kakou En yelled in defeat. "I can't take care of this; he likes you, so you have to do it."

The Gi archer thrust a furry object into his cousin's arms and stormed out of the room without allowing Kakou Ton to respond to him. The burly man grunted in annoyance and turned to reveal a black and white furred, blue eyed Siberian Husky puppy panting happily in his arms. Chousen's eyes widened and she squealed in excitement as she snatched the puppy away from Kakou Ton.

"You are the cutest thing I've ever seen!" She hugged the young dog tightly. "Yes you are! Yes you are!"

Kakou Ton cracked his neck, laid down on the floor and started his crunches. Chousen cooed and snuggled with the puppy in her arms and he responded with happy barks and excited licks to her face.

"Kakou Ton-sama?" The radiant girl half-giggled, as the puppy tickled her face.

He responded with silence and a gentle grunt as he pulled his body forward until his elbows met his knees.

"Fine." She smiled. "I have to go take a bath; take care of him for me."

His head sharply turned to face her when she placed the puppy on his abs and walked into the hot spring.

"Chousen!" Kakou Ton growled then blinked suddenly when the furry animal crawled up his chest and lapped at his face.

It was almost an hour until Chousen emerged from the spring and found Kakou Ton waiting outside the door with an annoyed expression, holding the puppy underneath his arm. She took the dog from him and scratched him behind his ears and smiled when she heard him whine in content.

"Chousen!" Kakou Ton growled.

"What's his name?" She beamed at him.

His brows furrowed and his mood changed to confusion. "He… doesn't have one."

"He doesn't?" Chousen was surprised. "He's too cute to not have a name."

"He followed me from up north." He shrugged.

"Garou." The songstress held up the puppy, ignoring Kakou Ton. "Garou-chan."

The newly named puppy stared back at her for a moment and barked, hoping to get more attention. His mistress immediately complied and pulled him into a tight embrace.

"Call him whatever you wish." Kakou Ton growled, now unsure of what he wanted to say to her. "I will be in the spring."

"I think he's just like that." Chousen frowned at Garou's curious eyes.

(Kakou Ton's Hot Spring)

'Such a frustrating girl…' The cycloptic general growled in his head.

His clothes lay in a pile near the steaming pool as he slowly slid into the warm water. Kakou Ton scrubbed vigorously at his skin as his mind focused on the songstress. She was unlike any other girl he had ever met; Chousen was neither overly timid nor particularly promiscuous. Of course, he had sensed this when he had met her at the ruins of Kahi Castle and was impressed by her strength and that was why he offered her a place in the castle, wasn't it? It was no secret that she was beautiful and even men with the steeliest resolves would not be able to deny their attraction. The more the Gi general thought about the situation, the more he was confused by his actual intentions regarding the attractive songstress. His final conclusion was utterly inconclusive. It was useless to try to figure things out now and he felt it would be best if he allowed things to play out before giving this anymore thought.

'Even if…I expected something to happen…' He thought cautiously. '…she is still grieving over the loss of her previous love; it would not be right for me…'

The burly man left his thought unfinished as he lifted his body from the warm water. He wrapped a towel around his waist and stepped out of the spring to find Chousen trying to teach her new puppy commands.

"Sit." The enchantress said firmly.

The young canine wagged his tail excitedly and jumped into his mistress' arms to try to lick her face.

"I don't think this is working." She held him up in the air and frowned.

When she set him back down, he immediately took noticed of his master's reappearance and joyfully dashed to him, barking and panting, hoping to get his attention. Chousen smiled at the puppy's reaction to Kakou Ton's presence, but was stunned to find her lord mostly naked and dripping wet. Her eyes found a random drop of water fall from his short, dark hair to his shoulder and trace its way down Kakou Ton's hard pectoral muscle and follow the gorgeously etched crevices along his abs and become absorbed by the towel. She suddenly became fascinated by the light trial of hair leading from the bottom of his naval and disappearing beneath his towel, but immediately flushed and turned away when she realized how inappropriately she was behaving.

"I'll deal with you later." Kakou Ton growled softly and patted the puppy's head.

He re-entered the spring with clothes beneath his arm and re-emerged wearing a sleeveless black shirt and baggy blue pants. Garou ran back to his master and was immediately scooped up and held in one of Kakou Ton's arms.

"You slept through breakfast; it would be best if you didn't miss lunch as well." The one-eyed warrior grunted. "Let's go."

The songstress followed her lord out of the room and down the halls to the main hall where she took a seat beside Kakou Ton at the end of the table with Kakou En on Kakou Ton's other side and Sou Sou at the head of the table to her right. Lunch had been served buffet style with several large plates of food and bowls of soup lined down the center of the tables. Chousen watched timidly as the hungry generals voraciously devoured their food and she was unsure of how to gather her own food as her eyes passed longingly over the roasted duck, vegetable stir-fry, rice and shark fin soup. Her gaze lowered beneath the table and found Garou eagerly tugging at a piece of duck with his, still developing, teeth. She frowned and when she looked back at her plate it surprised her to find it filled with meaty pieces of duck, a heavy pile of vegetables with a bowl of rice and a separate bowl of shark fin soup. The enchantress looked up at Kakou Ton, but he had already busied himself with his own food, however, Kakou En caught sight of Chousen's plate and laughed heartily.

"That's right!" The stout archer slapped his cousin's back. "Kakou men know how to take care of their women!"

Kakou Ton growled and went back to his food, but blinked suddenly when he felt pressure on his right hand. He turned to find Chousen's appreciative gaze and shy smile staring back at him.

"Thank you, Kakou Ton-sama."

He grunted in response and squeezed her hand in return, now using his left hand to eat for the rest of the meal.

(Sparring Field, Kyoshou Castle)

Kakou Ton snarled and jumped back as Chousen's whip cracked at the ground and kicked up a cloud of dust. His eye narrowed as the dust slowly began to clear and dodged the jagged circular blade flying at his face. He swung his heavy club down to meet her next strike and pinned the blade beneath his weapon. The cycloptic warriors dashed forward and butted his shoulder into the young woman, knocking her back a few feet. She regained her composure in time to roll away from an impending club strike and a quick back flip allowed her to dodge a horizontal swing, which was followed by a diving rolling to reequip herself with her chain whip. Chousen raised her whip reflexively over her shoulder to block Kakou Ton's attack.

"That's enough for now." He leaned forward and murmured into her ear.

It had been a few weeks since Chousen arrived in Kyoshou and she still was having trouble adjusting to her new surroundings. The songstress had never had a man treat her the way Kakou Ton did. She was used to being pampered and surrounded by servants, who would attend to her every whim, however, while there were a few servants around, Kakou Ton did little to pamper her. He almost immediately set up appointments for her to see his personal tutor three times a week when he learned that her adoptive father, Ou In, had already taught her how to read and write, though not as well as Kakou Ton. It wasn't that she was opposed to learning, she enjoyed absorbing new information, but it was very time consuming to have to pour over multiple books on a weekly basis. On top of the studying, she also had daily sparring matches with Kakou Ton and hand-to-hand combat training five days a week. The songstress couldn't complain about being bored, but she wished she had more say in her recreational activities. Her lord insisted that since she was taking part in such troubled times it would be prudent for her to be ready for any situation that could arise. While she understood all of the training, it was still a mystery to her as to why she had to be tutored. Her real interest, however, was finding more information about Kakou Ton and an opportunity presented itself sooner than she thought it would have.

(Kakou Ton's Quarters)

The songstress' attention was captured by a history book while Garou snoozed quietly on the bed. She immediately looked up from her studies when she heard the door opening and expected it to be Kakou Ton; instead, she found the handmaiden whom she had met the first night she was here. The young girl's expression clearly displayed surprise when she spotted the enchantress at her desk.

"Chousen-gozen!" The handmaiden squeaked. "I-I'm sorry; I didn't know you were in the middle of your studies. I was just coming to collect the laundry!"

"Oh… it's okay! It's okay!" Chousen waved her hands, trying to calm the handmaiden down. "Umm… you are Irin, yes?"

"Yes, My Lady." Irin bowed deeply. "I will leave you to your studies now."

"Wait!" The songtress called out as she got up from her seat. "Could you… I mean… could I ask you something?"

"Uh… of course, My Lady." The servant girl stared at her mistress cautiously. "What would you like to know?"

"Please sit." Chousen gestured to a place next to her on Kakou Ton's bed.

Irin curiously stared at the songstress as she sat down.

"I wanted to know…" Chousen stared carefully. "… what do you think of our lord?"

"Kakou Ton-sama?"

"Yes." The enchantress nodded. "Is he a good man?"

"Our lord is a very honorable and loyal man." Irin smiled gently. "I know that he appears to be cold, but he is very kind to his people and he is an exceptional warrior; I've heard many stories of him fighting the mighty Ryo Fu to a draw!"

Chousen flinched but forced a smile to urge her to continue.

"Do you see the farmlands in the distance?" She pointed out the window. "Kakou Ton-sama ordered the Taishou River dammed in order to plant rice. Because of that, the city was able to survive a famine that hit a year ago and we even have extra food for the winters now. Our lord even spear headed the planting himself!"

"That's…" The enchantress frowned. "…very impressive."

"Kakou Ton-sama is also very generous; he always distributes any excess gold among his people. I, myself, have received quite of bit of gold from him as well. I believe that he only uses gold from the castle treasury for the things he needs and…"

"I know of our lord's good deeds…" Chousen interrupted her. "… but I'm sure that even he has some undesirable qualities as well."

"Hmm…" Irin frowned in thought. "Well… I do not wish to speak ill of our lord, but he does have quite a bit of a temper and he is a sore loser."

"Is that right?"

"If you have noticed, My Lady, there are little to no reflective surfaces in the castle. This is because Kakou Ton-sama sees the loss of his eye as a constant reminder of a failed battle and whenever he sees himself in a mirror, he would immediately shatter it in a fit of rage. I also remember an incident that happened a month or so ago; our lord had lost a sparring match with Jo Kou-sama and he withdrew into his quarters for days without emerging for food or water. It was a bit childish of him but…"

The two women jumped up suddenly when they heard the door open and reveal their aforementioned lord.

"My Lord!" Irin almost shrieked.

"Am I interrupting something?" Kakou Ton raised an eyebrow.

"No, Kakou Ton-sama." Chousen shook her head. "I was just asking Irin where you were; I haven't seen you all day."

"I shall take my leave now, My Lady." Irin bowed deeply. "My Lord."

The one-eyed general's gaze followed the handmaiden until she left the room before turning back to Chousen; his eye digging at her expression for an answer.

"Where were you, My Lord?" Chousen smiled sheepishly.

"Playing Gou with Moutoku." Kakou Ton grunted.

"Did you win?"

"What were you talking to that girl about?"

"I already told you." The enchantress bit her lip gently and smiled coyly.

"You are a poor liar when I can resist your charms, no matter how aroused I am."

She turned away from him, slightly annoyed. 'I'm certainly dealing with a different kind of man…'

"The truth." Kakou Ton said sternly. "Now."

"I just… wanted to know about you."

"And you did not think of asking me?"

"I wanted an unbiased opinion."

"And?"

"You… you sound like a very good man."

"Thank you." The burly general smirked. "Have you finished your readings?" He noticed the open books on the nearby table.

"Uh… oh not yet." Chousen moved to pick up her books.

"Do not worry about them." Kakou Ton shook his head. "I believe that I may have pushed too many things upon you, and I feel that you are not enjoying them."

"It just feels like too much now…" The songstress said reassuringly. "… but I know that I can keep up with it."

"I appreciate you trying, but I would rather you spend your time doing something you enjoy."

Chousen raised an eyebrow as she watch her lord leave the room and return with a long, moderately wide wooden box. She tentatively accepted the box when Kakou Ton placed it in her lap and looked at him curiously. Garou's eyes gently opened and the sight of his master and mistress piqued his interest. He quickly padded towards them and sniffed curiously at the wooden box.

"What is this?" Their sudden eye contact made her insides squirm.

"A gift – something that I hope will make your stay more enjoyable."

Her hands slowly removed the cover of the box and a small gasp escaped her lips. Inside was a handsomely constructed ni-u made of the finest red sandalwood with a matching bow lying diagonally over the instrument.

"My Lord… I-I can't accept this…" Chousen's voice quivered.

"Of course you can." Kakou Ton sat beside her. "Moutoku is still expecting a performance and it would be a nice change of pace for me to listen to music while I study."

The songstress gently pulled the one-eyed general into a tight embrace and her voice was soft and sounded melodically in his ear.

"Thank you, Genjou-sama."

End of Chapter 2


End file.
